Amanda Hodgkinson

This book was oh so close to a five star read. But it just missed it for me.

The story is about a married Polish couple and their son. The couple is separated when the husband goes off to war. Both parties are tremendously impacted by the war, and when they finally reunite, all is not smooth sailing.

This book does several things extremely well.

First, the narrative structure is fantastic. The book is written from the perspective of the two main characters, and it alternates between time show more periods. So you see the war time from the husband's point of view and then separately from the wife's POV. Then, you move into the present and look into their current family life. This structure just propels you through the book like a rocket. It definitely has that "I can't put this down!" quality . . .

Second, the book definitely has some revealing moments that I think are cleverly done and believable. You sense there's something there the whole time you are reading . . .and when these moments are revealed you aren't shocked. But they do make the book feel as though it has more impact than a simple narrative of husband and wife.

The characters are all very well drawn, both likable and flawed at the same time.The writing is totally engaging.

What I didn't like is that there is one major relationship in the book that I found to be somewhat unbelievable, and unfortunately, this relationship is a cornerstone to the plot. I want to say more about it, but I am afraid I could spoil the book. It is interesting because in the end, the author does something that makes it much more credible, BUT that is after you have almost finished the book and have been skeptical the entire time. The rationale for this relationship is revealed so late in the game and so without warning that it just becomes harder to swallow at that point. Oddly, the author is so so careful with all the other plot points - - giving the reader enough fodder throughout the book to make it believable. But she neglects to do the same with this particular relationship when it would have been pretty easy to set it up a little differently.

At any rate, it truly is one flaw in an otherwise very outstanding piece of writing. I'm probably being a bit of a grinch not to bestow that fifth star show less

I'm a sucker for WWII novels, and this one gripped me pretty quickly. It's gritty, likely very true to life for thousands of war refugees, and has a satisfying ending along with a slew of endearing an sympathetic characters. My beef with this novel is probably the overuse of sex scenes--I from an artistic and moral standpoint believe less is more in describing sexual encounters--and Silvana's weakness in resisting men, while understandable, could have been detailed less often and less show more specifically. Otherwise, highly recommended and with a special surprise at the end that warms the cockles of one's heart. show less

"Profession?" the customs agent asks.

"Survivor," she whispered, the first word that came to her.

For Silvana, survival has been a full-time job for years, and one that has changed her irrevocably. Now the war is over, and her husband Janusz, who has settled in England, has sent for her. Her and the boy. It's been so many years, will Janusz even recognize her? Understand her? What will she tell him?

Janusz waits anxiously in England, trying to forget a wartime love in France, and hoping that show more his wife and son will fill the aching void in his heart. He longs to be accepted, no longer the outsider, the Pole. Perhaps having the ideal family will help him achieve the peace he needs.

Aurek is seven years old and has spent his entire remembered life living in the forest hiding. At one with the natural world and knowing only his mother, leaving the forest is a dislocation that he neither wants nor adapts to easily.

What follows survival? Trust is hard, even when there is love, especially after a long, traumatic separation. How can you share experiences that are outside the other person's experience? Should you? These questions create a haunting theme that I found engaging, I only wish there had been more philosophical depth in exploring these fascinating questions. I think it is a promising debut novel. show less

Audiobook narrated by Robin Sachs

At the end of World War II, Silvana and her seven-year-old son Aurek board a ship that will take them to England, where her husband, Janusz, waits for them. As the war escalated, he had joined the Polish Army, leaving his wife and infant son behind. Then Warsaw was bombed and Silvana fled to the forest with Aurek. Now he has settled in England. He wants nothing more than for them to become a proper English family, with a normal life in the small house at 22 show more Britannia Road.

Hodgkinson’s debut novel is beautifully told. The war has affected all of them, and they each bear secrets that lead to misunderstandings and feelings of distrust. How these damaged people struggle to become a family once again forms the central theme of the book.

I was engaged and interested in the story from beginning to end. Hodgkinson divides her chapters by location/time and by character, telling parallel stories: Poland during the war, England after the war. I liked how she used this technique to slowly reveal to the reader what Silvana and Janusz endured during their years apart. The choices they made carry consequences they dare not share with one another. And yet, they must find the love they once shared and nurture it, for themselves as individuals, for their child, and for their family.

Aurek fascinated me. When he and Silvana arrive in England he is understandably clingy. Janusz knows they lived in the forest for a time, but he’s not prepared for a son who hoards food, and doesn’t know how to tie his shoes or even how to sleep in a bed. Silvana tells Aurek again and again that they are safe, that Janusz is his father and loves him. But Aurek learned to be suspicious of men during their time in the forest, and he thinks of Janusz as “the enemy.”

Robin Sachs does an excellent job narrating the audiobook. He has good pacing and clearly differentiated the characters. I was never confused about who was speaking or what time frame I was in. show less